Alexandria police officers carry a wreath to place at the Fallen Officers Memorial in honor of slain Alexandria officers May 8 at APD headquarters.
The Alexandria Police Department paid tribute to its fallen officers during a wreath laying ceremony May 8 at the Fallen Officers Memorial at APD Headquarters.
The annual ceremony is part of National Police Week, which takes place May 12-18.
“We can never forget the sacrifice that our officers have made,” said Interim Police Chief Raul Pedroso. “The officers whose names are forever here with us, think of the lives that they touched, all the people they helped keep safe until the end when it was their own life on the line.”
Retired Master Deputy Kevin Brown of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office opened the ceremony with retired Chief of Police David Baker offering
A police officer places a rose at the Fallen Officers Memorial as part of the wreath laying ceremony May 8 at APD headquarters.
The Fallen Officers Memorial, located at APD Headquarters, honors the 18 Alexandria Police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. Survivors and family members gathered for the ceremony, including Marion Yoakum and Sharon Yoakum King, daughters of K-9 Officer Eugene Yoakum, who was killed in the line of duty Sept. 28, 1964.
“I wasn’t prepared at all,” said Marian Yoakum, who was 11 years old when her father was killed. “It was a horrible day and my first grief experience. And seeing what my mother went through was beyond horrible.”
Sharon Yoakum King was 4 ½ years old at the time of her father’s death.
“I still remember that night,” Yoakum King said. “It was so hot outside. When the call came in he told me I needed to go to bed. Then he went out the door and never came back.”
Yoakum was 34 years old when he was killed and Yoakum Parkway is named in his memory.
The ceremony concluded with the solemn bell ringing of the End of Watch roll call as the names of each of the fallen officers was read aloud.
“Our police officers go out every day and put themselves in danger,” Pedroso said. “They go to calls not knowing what to expect but they don’t stop. The commitment is to the safety of others and they carry out their duty without hesitation. We will do right by the people who are trusting us, the people of Alexandria – to protect them and serve them.”
For more information on the Fallen Officers Memorial, visit www.alexandriapolicefoundation.org.